November/December 1998 issue
Gardeners
Information Service
Where does spaghetti squash come from and how do I prepare
it?
- S.B., Seattle, Washington
Spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) -— also called
vegetable spaghetti -— is a cream-colored to yellow or orange,
watermelon-shaped winter squash with a fibrous interior that,
when cooked, separates into subtly-flavored spaghettilike
strands. Its exact origins are unclear, but most authorities
agree that the squash, like all members of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae),
originated somewhere in North or Central America. Spaghetti
squash stores well and is usually available year-round, but it
is most flavorful when purchased freshly harvested from a local
source in early fall to winter. Choose squash that are hard and
smooth with an even color; avoid those with bruised or greenish
skins. To cook spaghetti squash, first cut it in sections and
scoop out the seeds. Then it can be steamed, baked, or broiled.
After cooking, the strands can easily be removed from the shell
and fluffed with a fork. It can be eaten as a vegetable—seasoned
with butter, pepper, salt, or garlic—or used as a low-calorie,
vitamin-rich substitute for spaghetti. Spaghetti squash tastes
surprisingly good in combination with a wide range of sauces,
including clam, pesto, tomato, alfredo, and garlic and herbs.
A good source of information about this and other
out-of-the-ordinary plant edibles is Uncommon Fruits &
Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide by Elizabeth Schneider. This
book can be ordered through the American Horticultural Society
Book Service. See pages 56 and 57 for details.
I live in eastern Washington State, where the temperature
can get down to 10 degrees below zero in winter, and I have nine
peony plants in containers. I don’t want to take them out of the
containers because we are moving next summer and I want to take
them with me. How do I winter them over?
— D.W., via e-mail
There are about 30 species of Paeonia found throughout
Europe, eastern Asia, and western North America, mainly
herbaceous perennials and deciduous shrubs that are generally
hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 8. Not knowing which types of peonies
you have, it is difficult to determine their hardiness. Certain
Mediterranean species, such as Paeonia cambessedesii, P.
clusii, P. parnassica, and P. rhodia, may be
susceptible to winter damage. As a general rule, though, a
standard peony, such as P. officinalis or P. mascula,
should survive outdoors as long as you bury the containers in
the ground before the first frost. Kelly Dodson, owner of
Reflective Gardens in Poulsbo, Washington, says, “I’ve seen
peonies left outside through the brutal winters of Minnesota,
and they made it okay. In the fall, after the foliage has
withered, cut back the plant and bury the container in the
ground up to the rim. For added protection, you may want to
mulch around the plant with some evergreen branches. The plant
will remain dormant until the spring, when you can remove the
container from the ground.”
For more information, contact the American Peony Society, 250
Interlachen Road, Hopkins, MN 55343; (612) 938-4706. A good
general reference for peonies is The Gardener’s Guide to Growing
Peonies by Martin Page, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1997.
How do I keep my compost pile active during the winter,
when it gets to be below freezing outside?
— C.G., Minot, North Dakota
In the northern part of the country, keeping a compost pile from
freezing can be difficult. One of the keys to preventing a
freeze, according to Robin Tech, compost advisor at Toronto
Works in Ontario, Canada, is to get the compost going in the
early fall and keep it hot and cooking during the winter by
adding shredded leaves to the pile each time you add food
scraps. “To keep a constant supply of leaves on hand, shred them
with a lawn mower or weed wacker in the fall and keep a bag of
them by the pile,” says Tech. Even if your pile doesn’t get
steaming hot, adding brown material such as shredded leaves
along with the food scraps will help the pile continue to
decompose slowly through the winter. Cold-climate composters may
also want to add red wiggler worms to the pile to help break
down materials. The sides of the compost bin can also be
insulated with two-inch-thick pieces of foam padding.
For more information on composting, AHS offers its GIS Resource
Bulletin #112, “Compost—Black Gold.” To order, send $4 with your
request to: GIS, AHS, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA
22308–1300. Another good reference is “Easy Compost: The Secret
to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants,” Handbook 153 of the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 21st-Century Gardening Series. For
more information on BBG handbooks, call (718) 622-4433 ext. 274.
— Melanie Bonacorsa, Information
